Operating a thin client in a device for communication

ABSTRACT

An electronic device, referred to as a beacon gateway, capable of communicating an incoming call on one phone to a second phone operating on a different telecommunications network is described herein. A landline phone, voice-over-Internet-protocol phone (VOIP phone), cable phone, and mobile phone may be connected to the beacon gateway. When one of the phones receives an incoming call, the beacon gateway rings the other phones with ring tones indicative of the receiving phone. Additionally, a user can elect to make a phone call across one network (e.g., wireless) from a phone that communicates calls across a different network (e.g., landline). Moreover, a thin client operating in a mobile device is configured to handle communicating inbound calls and outgoing calls on mobile device to other phones connected to the beacon gateway.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of and claims priority pursuant to 35U.S.C. §120 from U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/832,842, entitled“DETECT AND CONNECT WIRELESS PHONE SERVICES AND LOCAL PHONE NETWORKS,”which was filed on Aug. 2, 2007.

SUMMARY

This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in asimplified form that are further described below in the DetailedDescription. This summary is not intended to identify key features oressential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended tobe used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subjectmatter.

One aspect of the invention is directed to a platform capable ofcommunicating an incoming an outgoing calls on multiple phones operatingover different telecommunications networks. The phones are connected toa beacon gateway, which is configured to transmit outgoing calls over adesired network and allow users to answer incoming calls to a specificphone on any phone connected to the beacon gateway. For instance, alandline phone, voice-over-Internet-protocol phone (VOIP phone), cablephone, and mobile phone may be connected to the beacon gateway. When oneof the phones receives an incoming call, the beacon gateway rings theother phones with ring tones indicative of the receiving phone.

In another aspect, the platform enables a user to make a phone callacross one network (e.g., wireless) from a phone that communicates callsacross a different network (e.g., landline). To make an outgoing call,the user can select a dial tone unique to a desired phone connected tothe beacon gateway and dial a phone number. The beacon gateway isconfigured to pass the outgoing call through the selected phone network.Specific ring tones and dial tones are provided by a tones generatoroperating in the beacon gateway's software.

Moreover, in another aspect of the present invention a thin clientoperating in a mobile device is configured to handle communicatinginbound calls and outgoing calls on phones connected to the beacongateway. The thin client may be configured to notify the beacon gatewaywhen the mobile device is in communication. In addition, the thin clienttransmits and receives incoming and outgoing calls to or from the phoneconnected to the beacon gateway.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention is described in detail below with reference to theattached drawing figures, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a wireless network, according to anembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram depicting a networking architecture forinterconnecting multiple phones to a beacon gateway, according to anembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a flow chart illustrating a process for receiving an incomingcall on one network and communicating the call to a phone on anothernetwork, according to an embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 4 is a flow chart illustrating a process for transmitting anoutgoing call on one network and communicating the call to a phone onanother network, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The subject matter described herein is presented with specificity tomeet statutory requirements. The description herein, however, is notintended to limit the scope of this patent. Rather, it is contemplatedthat the claimed subject matter might also be embodied in other ways, toinclude different steps or combinations of steps similar to the onesdescribed in this document, in conjunction with other present or futuretechnologies. Moreover, although the term “block” may be used herein toconnote different elements of methods employed, the term should not beinterpreted as implying any particular order among or between varioussteps herein disclosed.

Further, various technical terms are used throughout this description. Adefinition of such terms can be found in Newton's Telecom Dictionary byH. Newton, 21^(st) Edition (2005). These definitions are intended toprovide a clearer understanding of the ideas disclosed herein but arenot intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Thedefinitions and terms should be interpreted broadly and liberally to theextent allowed the meaning of the words offered in the above-citedreference.

As one skilled in the art will appreciate, embodiments of the presentinvention may be embodied as, among other things: a method, system, orcomputer-program product. Accordingly, the embodiments may take the formof a hardware embodiment, a software embodiment, or an embodimentcombining software and hardware. In one embodiment, the presentinvention takes the form of a computer-program product that includescomputer-useable instructions embodied on one or more computer-readablemedia.

Computer-readable media include both volatile and nonvolatile media,removable and nonremovable media, and contemplates media readable by adatabase, a switch, and various other network devices. Network switches,routers, and related components are conventional in nature, as are meansof communicating with the same. By way of example, and not limitation,computer-readable media comprise computer-storage media andcommunications media.

Computer-storage media, or machine-readable media, include mediaimplemented in any method or technology for storing information.Examples of stored information include computer-useable instructions,data structures, program modules, and other data representations.Computer-storage media include, but are not limited to, random accessmemory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmableread-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory used independently from or inconjunction with different storage media, such as, for example,compact-disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), digital versatile discs (DVD),holographic media or other optical disc storage, magnetic cassettes,magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage, or other magnetic storage devices.These memory components can store data momentarily, temporarily, orpermanently. In operation, communications media typically storecomputer-useable instructions.

The invention can generally be described as a platform for detecting andconnecting wireless phone services with local phone services. Forexample, a house may be outfitted with a landline phone, a voice overinternet protocol (VOIP) phone, and a cable phone, while the owner ofthe house also owns a cellular phone that communicates across a wirelessnetwork. In one embodiment of the present invention, a beacon gateway isconfigured to receive a call coming in to any of the phones, ring theother phones, and allow a user to answer the call on a different phonesystem. For example, an incoming call on the wireless network would bedetected by the beacon gateway, which, in turn, would ring the landlinephone, VOIP phone, and cable phone. One could then answer the incomingwireless call on any of the other phones connected to the beacongateway.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the beacon gateway isconfigured to pass outgoing calls made on one phone to any otherconnected phone. This allows a user to choose which phone network anoutgoing call should go through, regardless of the phone used to makethe call. For example, the user may choose to call from the landlinephone but have the call transmitted through the wireless network. Inanother example, the user may make a call across a VOIP network usingthe wireless phone.

As one skilled in the art will appreciate, the beacon gateway may beconnected to a number of phone networks. Examples include, withoutlimitation, a wireless network, landline, cable network, orpacket-switching network (such as to facilitate a call on a VOIP phone).In one embodiment, phone calls through a landline, VOIP connection, orwireless tower are received by a beacon gateway, which is configured totransmit the calls to other phones connected to the gateway. Forinstance, a call to a cellular phone may be passed through the gatewayto a VOIP phone, enabling the user to answer the call with the VOIPphone. In addition, the beacon gateway is also configured to passoutgoing calls through phone systems not supported by a particularphone. For example, a call made on a landline phone could be made over acellular or VOIP network. Additionally, the user can select a one of thephones connected to the beacon gateway by cycling through different dialtones or selecting an icon on a mobile device. An outgoing call can thenbe sent across the network associated with the phone selected by theuser by passing the call through the beacon gateway.

A landline, as referred to herein, refers to a terrestrial, switchnetwork. Landlines may include, for example, networks of twisted pair,coaxial, hybrid-fiber, or fiber cables. Typically landlines service homeor business phones. One skilled in the art will appreciate the numerouscomponents and inner-workings of landlines.

Having generally described various embodiments of the invention,attention is turned to an exemplary wireless phone network capable ofbeing interconnected to the beacon gateway. Referring to FIG. 1, a blockdiagram of a wireless network 100 is shown, according to an embodimentof the present invention. In a typical wireless network, an area isdivided geographically into a number of cell sites 102 and 104. Eachcell site (102 and 104) can be defined by an RF radiation pattern from arespective base transceiver station (BTS) antenna, illustrated as towers106 and 108. Each cell site may include one or more sectors (not shownfor clarity). Each tower 106 and 108 can transmit and receive wirelesscommunications to and from a plurality of mobile devices—as illustratedby mobile devices 101—that enter into cell sites 102 and 104,respectively.

Typically, digital cellular architectures include base transceiverstation (BTS) towers. In some embodiments, base station controllers(BSCs), depicted as BSC 110 and 112, are incorporated to control groupsof BTS towers. In operation, BSCs 110 and 112 function to controlcommunications via one or more BTS towers. For example, a BSC maycontrol the power level of wireless signals emitted by towers 106 and108, while also controlling the handoff of communications as the mobiledevices 101 moves between sectors within a BTS coverage area.

In an embodiment, BSC 110 and 112 are coupled to mobile switchingcenters (MSC) 114 and 116, which include a switch or a packet gateway.Also, BSC 110 and 112 may also be coupled to a packet gateway (notshown), such as a packet data serving node (PDSN). In anotherembodiment, MSC 114 and 116 are coupled to one or more networks, such aspublic switched telephone network (PSTN) 118, and, in operation, managevoice sessions between mobile devices 101.

When a sender positions mobile device 101 in cell 102, mobile device 101communicates via an RF air interface with tower 106. As a result, acommunication path is established via the air interface, tower 106, BSC110, and the switch or gateway (i.e., MSC 114, a PDSN, or the like).Mobile device 101 may then communicate with tower 106 using a variety ofdifferent protocols. For example, in a time division multiple access(TDMA) system, tower 106 typically communicates on a group offrequencies (e.g., 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1900 MHz ranges), and eachfrequency may itself carry at least one multiplexed call or datasession. In a code division multiple access (CDMA) system, bycomparison, tower 106 communicates over a spread spectrum offrequencies, and the spectrum may carry many multiplexed calls and/ordata sessions. Typical components for CDMA and TDMA systems aregenerally well known to those skilled in the art.

Additionally, Personal Communications Service (PCS) technology may alsobe used to communicate RF signals for mobile device 101. As one ofordinary skill in the art will understand, PCS is a low-powered,high-frequency alternative to traditional cellular technologies andoperates in the 1800-2000 MHz band. Traditionally, PCS uses bothmicrocell and picocell architectures, meaning the coverage areas arequite small (e.g., one mile), which reduces the amount of power needed.Functionally, a PCS network performs virtually the same functions innearly the same ways as a typical cellular network, with key differencesin frequency ranges, coverage areas, and power levels. PCS technologiesmay use CDMA, digital Advanced Mobile Phone System (AMPS), or GlobalSystem for Mobile communications (GSM) capabilities.

MSC 114 and 116 may be coupled to one or more networks to managetelecommunication sessions between mobile devices 101, such as PSTN 118.PSTN 118 is a network of public circuit-switched telephone networkssupports the communication of phone calls. One skilled in the art willappreciate that PSTN 118 may include, in part, local and interexchangetrunks, transport equipment, exchanges, switching nodes, transmissionnodes, and service nodes. In one embodiment, PSTN 118 adheres totechnical standards created by the International Telecommunication UnionTelecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T) and uses E.163/E.164addresses (known more commonly as telephone numbers) for addressing.

FIG. 1 is provided merely for illustrative purposes. One skilled in theart will understand that embodiments described herein will alsoincorporate other telecommunication networks to communicate phone callsto different types of phones. For example, a landline phone may utilizea system of local and main exchanges to relay a call. A VOIP phone mayrelay phone calls through packets (i.e., packet switching), instead ofcircuit switching. In some embodiments, phone calls, or Internet data,are transmitted across a Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access(WiMAX) network based on the IEEE 802.16 standard or, in otherembodiments, a wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) network based on the IEEE802.11 standard.

Additionally, VOIP phones may necessitate an analog-to-digitalconverter—such as an analog telephone adapter (ATA)—or an Ethernetconnection to transmit calls. Moreover, a cable phone may beinterconnected to a set-top box that is configured to pass phone callsacross cable hybrid-coaxial networks. One skilled in the art willunderstand that various well-known components, protocols, and devicesmay also be used to transmit calls between different types of phones.

Phone calls may be made using any well-known method. For example,dual-tone multi-frequency (DTMF)—commonly referred to as “touchtone”—signaling may be used to communicate numbers in embodimentsdescribed herein. DTMF signaling typically communicates pressed numbersto an MSC. For example, a DTMF keypad may be laid out in a 4×4 matrix,with each row representing a low frequency, and each column representinga high frequency. Pressing a single key such as ‘1’ will send a tonewith frequencies at 697 Hz and 1209 Hz. Resultant tones may be decodedusing any number of well-known techniques. Alternatively, calls from themobile device 101 may not actually send DTMF signals across an RFnetwork, but rather may be configured to send digital data grams mappedto DTMF tones that are later restored when a call enters the PSTN 118.

Turning now to FIG. 2, a block diagram is illustrated depicting anetworking architecture 200 for interconnecting multiple phones to abeacon gateway, according to an embodiment of the present invention.Networking architecture 200 is merely an example of one suitablenetworking environment and is not intended to suggest any limitation asto the scope of use or functionality of the present invention. Neithershould networking architecture 200 be interpreted as having anydependency or requirement related to any single component or combinationof components illustrated therein.

In general, networking architecture 200 illustrates a structure, such asa house or an office, which communicates phone calls through differentphone systems. For clarity, the structure will be described herein as ahouse 208; however, embodiments are not limited to any particularphysical structure. The house 210 may be outfitted with several phones,such as a VOIP phone 202, landline phone 204, cable phone 206, andmobile device 101 (described above). In alternative embodiments, thehouse 208 may also include other well-known phone systems. Furthermore,the dotted line designating the house 210 is not necessarily a physicalboundary. For instance, the mobile device 101 may be carried outside ofthe physical boundaries of the house 208 and still configured to workaccording to embodiments described herein.

Each phone in the house 208 is configured to communicate across one ormore telecommunication networks. In one embodiment, the mobile device101 communicates calls, messages, and other transmissible data using thewireless network 100 (described above). The VOIP phone 202, landlinephone 204, and cable phone (through a set-top box 215, in oneembodiment) also communicate calls and messages through PSTN 118;however, these phones may route calls through a telecommunicationnetwork 214 instead of the wireless network 100. The telecommunicationsnetwork 214 may include any well-known interfacing components to thePSTN 118—such as those previously mentioned (e.g., local and mainexchanges, analog-to-digital converters, Ethernet connections, orcoaxial-cable networks). One skilled in the art will appreciate thatvarious interfacing components may be utilized to connect any of thethree phones to the PSTN 118.

Each phone (including the mobile device 101) is coupled to the beacongateway 220. Coupling may occur via an actual wire connected to thebeacon gateway 220 with registered jacks (RJ), or the phones may becoupled to the beacon gateway via a wireless connection, such asBluetooth, Wi-Fi, Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access(WiMAX), or the like. In one embodiment, the beacon gateway 220 is anelectronic device comprising, at least, a Bluetooth antenna 222,transmitter 224, transcoder 226, power manager 228, landline-interfacemodule 230, thin-client module 232, tones generator 234, receiver 236,Bluetooth driver 238, DTMF module 239, operating system 240, and memory242.

The DTMF module 239 is a piece of software configured to determine whatbuttons have been pressed by a user on one of the phones connected tothe beacon gateway 220. In one embodiment, touch-tone pulses arecommunicated directly to the beacon gateway 220, which uses the DTMFmodule to decode them. In another embodiment, a switching centercommunicates the tone pulses to the beacon gateway 220. Various ways arewell known to those skilled in the art for interpreting touch tonepulses; therefore, such techniques need not be discussed at lengthherein.

The operating system 240 may be any type of operating system capable ofsupporting software designed to support the inner-working components ofthe beacon gateway 220. Examples include, without limitation, Linux,Windows XP®, or the like. In some embodiments that incorporateBluetooth-enabled phones, the operating system 240 includes Bluetoothstacks (e.g., the BlueZ stack supported by Linux) or service packs(e.g., Windows XP Service Pack 2 and later versions) for supportingBluetooth communications.

The memory 242 comprises any well-known memory storage, including theaforementioned types of computer-storage media. In operation, the memory242 is configured to store various types of data, including, withoutlimitation, ring tones associated with different phones, dial tones, andsystem configurations. In one embodiment, each phone is assigned a ringtone, which is stored in the memory 242. When an incoming call isreceived on one phone, a ring tone associated with the one phone isretrieved from the memory 242 and transmitted, in one embodiment, to theother phones connected to the beacon gateway 220.

The Bluetooth antenna 222, the transmitter 224, and the receiver 236work together to transmit and receive information from Bluetooth-enabledphones (e.g., the mobile device 101). One skilled in the art willappreciate that numerous antennae, transmitters, and receivers may beused to support communications between the beacon gateway 220 and themobile device 101. To communicate with the beacon gateway 220, theBluetooth beacon 218 includes a transmitter that wirelessly communicatesinformation to and from the mobile device 101.

In one embodiment, the Bluetooth beacon 218 transmits data via low-powerradio waves on a frequency between 2.40 GHz and 2.480 GHz.Operationally, the Bluetooth antenna 222 receives information that themobile device 101 wirelessly transmits using a Bluetooth protocol.Bluetooth protocols may include, for example but without limitation,Bluetooth version 1.0, 1.1, or 2.0. The mobile device 101, which isBluetooth compatible, in one embodiment, interacting with the beacongateway 220 creates a wireless personal area network (PAN), or“piconet,” capable of wirelessly exchanging information between the twodevices. The information may include a name associated with the mobiledevice 101, a device class, a list of services, technical information(e.g., device features associated with the mobile device 101, clockoffsets, etc.), voice data, message data, or the like.

The beacon gateway 220 may be equipped, or programmed, with a Bluetoothdriver 238 to enable communication with the mobile device 101 via aBluetooth connection. One skilled in the art will understand thatvarious drivers may be used as necessary.

For security reasons, the Bluetooth beacon 218 may utilizeauthentication measures using key derivation based on custom algorithms(e.g., the SAFER+ block cipher). In one embodiment, initialization andmaster keys are generated with the E22 algorithm, and the E0 streamcipher is used for encrypting packets. One skilled in the art willunderstand that numerous other encryption techniques may alternativelybe used.

The mobile device 101 includes executable software, referred to as athin client 216, which is configured to turn the beacon gateway 220 intoa proxy for the mobile device 101 by extending manual control featuresof the mobile device 101 to the beacon gateway 220. Such featuresinclude, without limitation, DTMF signals or digital data gramscorresponding to buttons pressed on the mobile device 101 as well asindications that the mobile device 101 has ended a call, switched toanother line, or similar functions. While the thin client 216 isillustrated in FIG. 2 as an inclusion in the mobile device 101,embodiments are not limited thereto. Rather, any phone connected to thebeacon gateway 220 may contain an instance of the thin client 216. Inother words, the VOIP phone 202, landline phone 204, and cable phone 206may contain the thin client 216. For the sake of clarity, however, thethin client 106 is discussed herein in relation to the mobile device101.

In one embodiment, the thin client 216 is configured to determinewhether the mobile device 101 is in wireless communication (e.g., viaBluetooth) with the beacon gateway 220. In another embodiment, the thinclient 216 communicates a phone call made on the mobile device 101 tothe beacon gateway 220 for eventual completion through another completedphone. Still, in another embodiment, the thin client 216 completes phonecalls made from other connected phones through the mobile device 101.Requests to make phone calls, and other notifications may becommunicated to and received from the thin-client module 232 across aBluetooth connection.

The thin client 216 may be configured to communicate with the thinclient module 232, which is software executing on the beacon gateway220. The beacon gateway 220, in one embodiment, is configured to ringother connected phones to signify an incoming call on the mobile device101. Or the beacon gateway 220 may communicate calls made on the mobiledevice 101 to phone networks associated with other connected phones(e.g., the VOIP phone 202 or landline phone 204).

The thin-client module 232 is configured to receive requests to makecalls through the mobile device 101. To select a particular phoneconnected to the beacon gateway 220, a user may cycle through variousring tones by tapping the hook of a phone or selecting a phone presentedon a user interface of the mobile device 101. If the mobile device 101is selected, the thin-client passes the analog signal of an outboundcall to the mobile device 101. Before being passed, the analog signalmay, in some embodiments, need compressing or decompressing by thetranscoder 226.

Additionally, the thin-client module 232 is also configured, in oneembodiment, to ring other phones connected to the beacon gateway 220when an incoming call is received by the mobile device 101 and themobile device 101 is in communication with the beacon gateway 220. Thelandline interface module 230 communicates a particular ring toneassociated with the mobile device 101 to other connected and available(i.e., not busy) phones. The landline interface module 230 connects theincoming call to the first connected phone answered and uses thethin-client module 232 to support a call with the mobile device 101.

The beacon gateway includes a Bluetooth antenna 22 capable of receivingtransmissions from the mobile device 101 via a Bluetooth connection. Tosupport multiple Bluetooth beacons 218, spread-spectrum frequencyhopping may be used (in some embodiments) so that beacons do nottransmit on the same frequency. To implement such a technique, themobile device 101 will use several individual, randomly chosenfrequencies within a designated range—changing from one to another on aregular basis. For example, the Bluetooth beacons 218 may be configuredto change frequencies 1,600 times every second, meaning that multiplemobile devices 101 can make full use of different portions of the radiospectrum.

The beacon gateway 220 may include a number of other components.Well-known software, referred to herein as the transcoder 226, may beincluded to compress analog, audio signals for transmission. Forexample, the transcoder 226 may comprise any well-known codec—such as,for example, Speex, Vorbis, WavePack, or the like. Additionally, thepower manager 228 is configured to rectify and deliver power carried tovarious electronics within the beacon gateway 220. One skilled in theart will appreciate the various combinations of circuitry that may beincluded to power the component of the beacon gateway 220.

In one embodiment, the landline interface module 230 is configured toreceive incoming calls to the VOIP phone 202, landline phone 204, andcable phone 206. Additionally, the landline interface module 230 mayalso be configured to transmit calls through networks connected to theVOIP phone 202, landline phone 204, and cable phone 206.

The tones generator 234 is configured to ring phones connected to thebeacon gateway 220. In one embodiment, each connected phone is assigneda particular ring tone. Whenever a call is received on one phone, thetones generator 234 rings the other connected phones with the ring toneassigned to the phone that is receiving the call. For example, if thelandline phone 204 receives an incoming call, the landline interfacemodule 230 detects the call, and the tones generator 234 rings the VOIPphone 202 and the mobile device 101 with a ring tone indicative of thelandline phone 204. To either the VOIP phone 202, landline phone 204, orthe cable phone 206 to ring differently to indicate incoming calls tophones connected to the beacon gateway 220, an instance of the thinclient 216 may be installed thereon and managed by the modules in thebeacon gateway 220.

One skilled in the art will appreciate that ring tones may betransmitted to the connected phones in a variety of well-known ways. Forexample, the tones generator may be configured to illicit a switch inthe telecommunications network 214 to send a 90V, 20 Hz alternatingcurrent (AC) signal to the VOIP phone 202, landline phone 204, or cablephone 206. An RF signal may be sent to the mobile device 101. Otherimplementations are also possible and are generally well known to thoseskilled in the art.

The receiver 236 is configured to receive incoming calls from the mobiledevice 101 via a Bluetooth connection. In other words, the receiver 236communicates with the Bluetooth beacon 218, which transmits a signal foran incoming call or a call itself to the receiver 236. As previouslymentioned, the tones generator signals the VOIP phone 202, landlinephone 204, and cable phone 206 that the mobile device 101 is receivingan incoming call. If one of the other connected phones (i.e., the VOIPphone 202, landline phone 204, or cable phone 206) is picked up, theBluetooth beacon 218 passes the call in real time to the receiver 236.Then, in one embodiment, the transcoder compresses or decompresses thecall itself (i.e., the audio conversation between the two phones) andtransmits the call to the phone that was picked up. Additionally, theaudio signal generated on the other phone (e.g., the receiving user'svoice) is sent to the landline interface module 230 and transmitted tothe mobile device 101 by the transmitter 224—after any necessarycompression or decompression by the transcoder 226—via the Bluetoothconnection.

Similarly, incoming calls received by the VOIP phone 202, landline phone204, or cable phone 206 are communicated to the landline interfacemodule 230. The tones generator 234 can access the memory 242 for theparticular ring tone associated with the receiving phone. Oncedetermined, the landline interface module 230, in one embodiment, isconfigured to ring the other connected phones with the particular ringtone. To communicate the ring tone to the mobile device 101, thelandline interface module 230, in one embodiment, checks with thethin-client module 232 to determine whether the mobile device 101 isclose enough to communicate with the beacon gateway 220—i.e., whetherthe mobile device 101 is within the Bluetooth PAN. If so, the particularring tone is transmitted to the mobile device 101 using the transmitter224. Furthermore, the landline interface module is configured tocommunicate the phone call in real time to whichever connected answersthe particular ring tone. In the case of the mobile device 101 or theVOIP phone answering, it may be necessary to compress or decompress thecall itself (i.e., the analog signal between the two phone callers) inreal time sending the call to the answering phone. The transcoder 226may be used to make such conversions.

In addition to answering incoming calls on connected phones, the beacongateway 220 also (in one embodiment) enables any of the connected phonesto make a call through other connected phones. For example, the landlinephone 204 may be used to make a call through the mobile device 101. Toselect a particular phone, the tone generator 234 is configured topresent different dial tones indicative of a particular phone on a phonepicked up by a user. To select a particular phone to call through, theuser may cycle through the dial tones by tapping the hook switch on theparticular phone. For instance, the user may pick up the landline phone204 and continue to tap its hook switch until a dial tone for the mobiledevice 101 is presented.

Dial tones may be sent to the VOIP phone 202, landline phone 204, orcable phone 206 using any well-known method. One skilled in the art willappreciate that modern dial tone may vary. For example, a “buzz” of twointerfering tones (e.g., 350 Hz and 440 Hz, as defined in the PreciseTone Plan) may be used in accordance with the North America NumberingPlan (NANP). A single, constant tone (e.g., 425 Hz) may be used inEuropean phones. Moreover, a private or internal private branch exchange(PBX) may utilize its own dial tone. As Thus, embodiments are notlimited to any particular type of ring tone.

To make a call through from the mobile device 101 through anotherconnected phone, a menu of different connected phones may be displayedon graphical user interface incorporated in the mobile device 101. Theuser can simply select which phone to make the outbound call through. Inone embodiment, busy phones (i.e., phones currently in use) are notshown in the menu or are indicated as in use. Once selected, theoutbound call is communicated by the thin client 216, in one embodiment,which is configured to transmit and receive the call and the indicatedphone to and from the thin-client module 232. The thin-client module 232is configured, in one embodiment, to locate the indicated phone andcommunicate the call thereto. Communication of the call may require thetranscoder 226 to compress or decompress analog signals and use thelandline interface module 230 to transmit the call to the indicatedphone.

Answering an incoming call to the mobile device 101 on the landlinephone 204 may occur in the following manner. The inbound call initiallyrings the mobile device 101. The thin client 216 in the mobile device101 communicates with the thin-client module 232 on the beacon gateway220, indicating a call is inbound to the mobile device 101. The tonesgenerator 234 is then called to determine the ring tone stored in memory242 associated with the mobile device 101. This particular ring tone isthen passed by the landline interface module 230 to the remaining phonesconnected to the beacon gateway 220. When a connected phone is pickedup, the two-way audio is passed between the mobile device 101 and thepicked-up phone by the landline interface module 230 if answered by aphone other than the mobile device 101 or by the thin-client module 232if answered by the mobile device 101. Once the answering phone is hungup, the beacon gateway 220 detects either an “on hook” or “end” signalfrom the answering phone, depending on which phone was picked up. Thethin-client module 232 then sends these call-ending indications to thethin client 216, which is configured to communicate an “end” signal tothe wireless network.

While the above example discusses an incoming call to the mobile device101, embodiments are not limited to only passing cell-phone calls tophones connected to the beacon gateway 220. Rather, calls received bythe other phones may use similar methods to communicate incoming callsto the other connected phones. For instance, a call to the VOIP phone202 may result in the landline interface module 230 passing a ring toneindicative of the VOIP phone 202 to the landline phone 204, cable phone206, and mobile device 101. Moreover, the VOIP phone 202, landline phone204, and cable phone 206 may include an instance of the thin client 216,although not shown in FIG. 2, that can be configured to communicate thesignals, tones, and two-audio discussed herein. One skilled in the artwill appreciate that various modules in the beacon gateway 220 may beused to effectuate the results described herein across between each ofthe phones connected to the beacon gateway 220.

To make a call from the landline phone 204 through the networkassociated with the mobile device 101, the components of FIG. 2 may beconfigured to operate in the following manner. Initially, a user picksup the landline phone 204, resulting in an “off hook” signal. The userfirst hears the normal dial tone associated with the landline phone 204.In one embodiment, this dial tone is sent stored in memory 242 and sentby the landline interface module 230 to the landline phone 204. The usermay toggle the hook switch repeatedly to sequence through availablephones connected to the beacon gateway 220. Each toggle is interpretedby the landline interface module 230, which is configured to retrievedifferent dial tones indicative of the different phones connected to thebeacon gateway 220. The landline interface module 230 passes eachretrieved dial tone to the landline phone 204 for the user to hear. Thedial tones indicative of each connected phone are generated by thebeacon gateway 222, specifically the landline interface module 230communicating tones determined by the generator 234.

The user can then make a call through any of the connected phones bydialing a phone number when the user hears a dial tone indicative of adesired phone. The phone numbers are sent to the beacon gateway 220, andthe landline interface module 232 is configured, in one embodiment, todetect when a complete phone number has been entered. For example, thelandline interface module 230 may be configured to determine that elevendigits have been entered. Once a complete number is detected, landlineinterface module 230 communicates with the thin client 216 executing onthe desired phone. As previously mentioned, any phone connected to thebeacon gateway 220 may include an instance of the thin client 216, eventhough FIG. 2 only illustrates the thin client 216 embodied in themobile device 101. The thin client 216 pushes the dialed numbers to thewireless network 100 or the network 214, depending on the phone, forcompletion through the PSTN 118. Moreover, the landline interface module230 passes two-way audio between the landline phone 204 and the phoneselected by the user in real time.

Once the call ends, the user hangs up the landline phone 204 bydepressing the hook switch. The landline interface module 230 detects an“on hook” signal and perpetuates the signal to the other phone selectedby the user. For the mobile device 101, commands are sent to the thinclient 216 to send an “end” call state signal through the wirelessnetwork 100. While the above example describes a phone call made fromthe landline phone 204, any other phone connected to the beacon gateway220 may be used in a similar manner to call across another network. Themobile device 101 will not communicate with the landline interfacemodule 230; rather, it will utilize the thin-client module 232 in themanners described herein.

The landline interface module 230 and the thin-client module 232 may beconfigured to determine what phones are connected to the beacon gateway220 and which phones are available (e.g., not busy, disconnected, orbeyond a PAN). To do so, both modules, in one embodiment, are programmedwith interrupts that constantly monitor connected phones. If a phone isbusy, or otherwise unavailable, its dial tone may not be presented toother phones, and its indication may not be presented on the mobiledevice 101.

Turning now to FIG. 3, a flow chart is presented illustrating a process300 for receiving an incoming call on one network and communicating thecall to a phone on another network, according to an embodiment of thepresent invention. Initially, an incoming call is received on one of theconnected phones, and a beacon gateway is notified. An indication (e.g.,a particular ring tone indicative of receiving phone) of the incomingcall is presented on the other phones connected to the beacon gateway,as indicated at block 302. The first connected phone that is answered(i.e., picked up), as indicated at 304, triggers the beacon gateway totransmit the call to the phone, as indicated at block 306. In oneembodiment, analog signals associated with the are compressed ordecompressed in real time to facilitate the transmission.

Turning now to FIG. 4, a flow chart is presented illustrating a process400 for transmitting an outgoing call on one network and communicatingthe call to a phone on another network, according to an embodiment ofthe present invention. Initially, indications of phones that areconnected to a beacon gateway are presented on a connected phone, asindicated at block 402. An indication may include, without limitation, aselectable list of dial tones or a menu in a graphical user interfaceindicative of the phones available to call through. A user can thenindicate which phone to dial through, as indicated at block 404. Forexample, the user may select to make a call through a landline phonefrom a mobile device by selecting an icon associated with the landlinephone. In another example, the user can repeatedly tap the hook switchof a VOIP phone until the dial tone for a mobile device is presented.Once the desired phone is selected, the user can dial a number, and thebeacon gateway is configured to complete the call through the desired,connected phone, as indicated at 406.

Many different arrangements of the various components depicted, as wellas components not shown, are possible without departing from the spiritand scope of the present invention. Embodiments of the present inventionhave been described with the intent to be illustrative rather thanrestrictive. Alternative embodiments will become apparent to thoseskilled in the art that do not depart from its scope. A skilled artisanmay develop alternative means of implementing the aforementionedimprovements without departing from the scope of the present invention.

It will be understood that certain features and subcombinations are ofutility and may be employed without reference to other features andsubcombinations and are contemplated within the scope of the claims. Notall steps listed in the various figures need be carried out in thespecific order described.

The invention claimed is:
 1. One or more non-transitorycomputer-readable storage media having computer-executable instructionsembodied thereon for transmitting an incoming phone call from a firstphone to a second phone, comprising: determining that a computing deviceis in wireless communication with the first phone via a personal areanetwork (PAN) connection between the first phone and the computingdevice, wherein the computing device is configured to communicate withthe second phone, wherein the computing device comprises a beacongateway; determining, by way of the computing device, that the firstphone received an incoming phone call, wherein determining that thefirst phone received an incoming phone call comprises receiving a firstindication that the first phone received the incoming phone call;receiving a second indication that the second phone answered theincoming phone call, wherein the second phone answered the incomingphone call that was transferred to the second phone by execution of athin-client module on the computing device; and transmitting an analogsignal associated with the incoming phone call to the computing device,wherein the analog signal associated with the incoming phone call istransmitted by a thin client executing on the first phone.
 2. The mediaof claim 1, further comprising compressing and decompressing the analogsignal associated with the incoming call.
 3. The media of claim 1,wherein a thin-client on the second phone receives notification of theincoming phone call from a thin client executing on the first phone. 4.The media of claim 1, wherein the computing device includes a Bluetoothdriver configured to enable the computing device to communicate with thefirst phone via a Bluetooth connection.
 5. The media of claim 1,transmitting one or more touch-tone pulses entered by a user on thefirst phone to the computing device, wherein the touch-tone pulses aretransmitted as dual-tone multi-frequency (DTMF) signals.
 6. A system forusing multiple thin clients to communicate a phone call between multiplephones, comprising: a first thin client executing on a first phone,wherein the first thin client is configured to transmit an incomingphone call on the first phone to a second phone that answers theincoming phone call; a second thin client executing on a second phone,wherein the second thin client is configured to receive the incomingphone call when the second phone answers the incoming phone call; and athin-client module configured to ring the second phone when the firstphone receives the incoming call, wherein the thin-client module isexecuted on a computing device that is communicatively connected to thefirst and communicatively connected to the second phone, and wherein thecomputing device is communicatively connected to the first phone via awireless connection in a personal area network (PAN) connection betweenthe first phone and the computing device, wherein the computing devicecomprises a beacon gateway, wherein the first thin client executing onthe first phone is configured to extend manual control features of thefirst phone to the computing device, and further wherein the computingdevice rings the second phone when the first phone receives the incomingcall based on execution of the thin-client module on the computingdevice.
 7. The system of claim 6, wherein the first phone is a mobilephone.
 8. The system of claim 6, wherein the second phone is either aVOIP-enabled phone, landline phone, or cable phone.